Feeding mechanism for metal printing plates



June 22, 1954 I H. l. NETTLE 2,681,613

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR METAL PRINTING PLATES Filed April 26, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Haw LNeZiie,

June 22, 1954 H. NETTLE 2,681,613

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR METAL PRINTING PLATES Filed April 26, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 2 12" .5. 6'4 ea 34 e 48 44 Iaaveuiou:

Heawy lNeii/ie, V

June 22, 1954 NETTLE 2,681,613

FEEDING MECHANISMFOR METAL PRINTING PLATES Filed April 26, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ,9 WW 1; 76M? Patented June 22, 1954 FEEDING MECHANISM FOR METAL PRINTING PLATES Henry I. Nettle, Norwood, Mass.

Application April 26, 1950, Serial No. 158,131

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in feeding mechanism for metal printing plates and more particularly to the means for feeding the printing plates in a manually operable addressing machine.

It is an object of my invention to provide improved feeding means for the printing plates in an addressing machine in which each plate is fed by a following plate and stop means are provided to positively hold the printing plate from going beyond the printing position.

It is further an object of my invention to provide a pivoted stop operable by actuation of the printing arm; which stop is arranged to swing in front of a printing plate as it is moved toward the printing position.

Further objects and advantages of my improvements will be more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the addressing machine equipment;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the plane indicated 33 in Fig. 1, showing the printing arm in raised position;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 3 but showing the arm in printing position;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale taken on the plane indicated 5-5 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the frame without the arm showing the manner of feeding the plates; and

Fig. '7 is a vertical section taken on the plane indicated 1-1 in Fig. 6.

The main frame ID has mounted on its upper face the bearing supports l2 for pivotally mounting the U-shaped printing arm [4 which has a platen IS. The frame ID has a slotted opening l8 to receive the lever arm integral with the printing arm 14. On the bottom of the frame, as shown in Fig. 2, the lever 22 is pivotally supported by the pin 24 to swing in a horizontal plane. The lever 22 has a slotted opening 24 to receive the lever arm 20 and the lever arm 20 is normally urged to swing forwardly by the action of the tension spring 26 which is fixed at 28 to the frame I!) and at 30 to the lever arm 22. A push plate 32 is slidably mounted on the frame In and is provided with a pin 34 extending through the slot 36 in the frame to engage the slotted opening 38 in the lever 22. The movement of the lever 22 also serves to actuate the stop member 40 which is pivoted at 42 to the frame and has attached thereto a cam member 44 operatively engaged by the pin-shaped end 46 of the lever 22. A spring 48 is provided to hold the cam member 44 in retraoted position. The cam member 44 is fixed to the stop member 40 at 50. A magazine 52 is mounted on the frame and adapted to receive a stack of the printing plates 54.

As shown in Fig. 3, the stack of plates 54 rests on the slide member 32. When the slide member is retracted to the position shown in Fig. 4, the next forward movement of the slide member 32 will push the bottom plate forward. In Fig; 3, one of the plates 54 has been pushed forward to printing position. The plate is stopped in its exact printing position by engaging the stop member 40. After the plate has been printed, it will be pushed forward to drop into the discharge pile 56.

As shown in Figures 6. and 7, the plates 54 are guided in a track formed in the frame I 0 and the rails 51 are provided to hold the plates against vertical displacement. The rails 51 are cut out at the feeding position to permit the plates to drop in front of the push-plate 32. The frame forms a guide on one side of the track 58. On. the other side, just beyond the printing position, the frame is out out as at 69 to Permit the plate as it is moved from the printing position to move laterally as the stop 40 is moved inwards towards the position in which in will stop the movement of the next plate coming to the printing position. This is clearly shown in Fig. 6.

The operation of the machine, therefore, proceeds as follows: the printing arm [4 is manually pressed down. The downward movement of the arm l4 moves the lever 22 on the underside of the plate rearwardly towards the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This movement of the lever 22 retracts the push plate or slide 32 so that the slide 32 moves from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the retracted position shown in Fig. 4. At the same time, the lever 22 will disengage from the cam lever 44, thereby allowing the spring 48 to retract the stop member 4il. After the impression has been received from the p nting plate, t arm is returned by spring 26 to the position shown in Fig. 3. The forward movement of the lever 22 causes the slide 32 to move forward and push a plate from the bottom of the feeding stack. This plate will in turn push the first plate out of the printing position and cause it to drop into the discharge stack. During this movement of the plate into the discharge stack, the stop member 40 starts to come in. This movement is produced by the engagement of the lever 22 with the cam arm 44. The plate which is almost ready to drop into the discharge stack is free to move laterally to allow the stop 40 to move inward and thereby form a stop for the next plate as it arrives at the printing position.

I claim:

1. In a machine for printing addresses from metal printing plates, a frame having a track for feeding plates from a feeding station to a printing position and finally to a discharge station, a

' printing arm swingably mounted on the top of said frame, a slide member movable in said track to push a plate from the feeding position to the printin position, said slide member being effective to push the plate previously in the printing position to the discharge station as the next plate is pushed to the printing position, a lever pivotally mounted on the underside of said frame, said lever and printing arm being operatively connected by a pin attached to one of the two engaging a slot in the other, and said lever and slide member being similarly connected, whereby movement of said arm actuates said slide member, a spring means acting upon said lever normally tending to hold said printing arm in up position a stop member movable into and out of the path of movement of the plates and arranged to engage the leading edge of a plate in printing position, a spring normally holding said stop member out of said path, and means actuated by said lever for moving said stop member into said path as said arm approaches the up position.

2. In a machine for printing addresses from metal printing plates, a supporting frame, a pair of parallel guide walls on said frame forming a track alon which the plates move from a feeding position to a printing position and finally to a discharge station, a reciprocating slide member movable along said track to push a plate from feedin to printing position, each plate as it advances being effective to push the plate previously in the printing position to the discharge position, a stop member mounted adjacent to one of said walls and movable in the plane of said track into and out of the path of said plates, said stop member being arranged to engage the leading edge of a plate in printing position, means operable toward the end of the advancin stroke of said slide member to move said stop member into said path, means operable during the return stroke of said slide member to move said stop out of said path, and an offset in the guide wall opposite to said stop member, at said discharge station', whereby the plate entering said discharge station may be moved sidewise by said stop member as it moves into said path.

3. A machine as described in claim 1, having a second arm which is attached to said stop member, and said lever carrying a pin which engages said second arm to move the stop member into said. path,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,110,723 Spiess Sept. 15, 1914. 1,595,774 Gollnick Aug. 10, 1926 1,599,623 Rainey Sept. 14, 1926 1,717,231 Krell June 11, 1929 1,725,400 Last Aug. 20, 1929 1,822,344 Gollnick Sept. 8, 1931 1,960,560 Todd May 29, 1934 2,074,720 Eckhard Mar. 23, 1937 2,132,414 Gollwitzer Oct. 11, 1938 2,192,610 Keen Mar. 5, 1940 2,211,310 Andrews Aug. 13, 1940 2,265,222 Benes Dec. 9, 1941 2,295,748 Moore Sept. 15, 1942 2,409,631 Jones Oct. 22, 194-6 

